Caroline's eyes filled with love and happiness. "I would follow you anywhere, Jacob. I would be your wife if you are sure...?"
"I am sure," he heard himself say. "Am I correct to assume that this gentleman has the authority to see us wed?" he demanded in a firm tone of voice as he looked at the man he did not recognize.
"I am," the man replied with a smile, his eyes twinkling.
"With your permission, Mr. Hershey...?" Jacob forced himself to ask for his wife's hand, even though he knew he would not be responsible for his actions if George Hershey refused that permission after so thoroughly ripping his daughter and her reputation to shreds!
George Hershey sputtered for a moment or two, but when Martin told him to make up his damn mind, George nodded. "I cannot believe you still want her after the way she has behaved, but you are welcome to the girl." It was all Jacob could do to restrain himself.
Speaking their vows did not take long. Jacob was angry and Caroline was nearly jumping with joy. John gave the new bride a chaste peck on the cheek and Martin even managed a smile for his new daughter-in-law. If he had reservations about the marriage, he was smart enough to keep them to himself. He handed his son a small pouch and said gruffly, "This is a wedding gift from your Mother and I, son. Caroline has spirit, I will say that for her, and for what it is worth, she might be mischievous, but she has never been a flirtation chit. I am proud of you for being a man and standing for her against her fool of a father!"
"Thank you, Father." Jacob knew that Martin was sparing in his praise and his words filled him with pride. It helped to know that his Father thought he had made the right decision. John was proud of him, too, and promised he would tell their Mother and Jenny that he honored Caroline. He also said that his wife would make sure to let her friends know they were proud to have Caroline in the family.
George hugged Caroline and wished her well, but it was obvious he was relieved he was not taking her back to her Mother. Jacob was positive he had saved Caroline from a life of shame in her father's home, and the contemplative look of violence in his dark eyes convinced Martin and John that they needed to get George Hershey away from Jacob before the younger man knocked him on his butt!
Once they were gone, Jacob looked at his new bride, and the small band of gold on her finger that his brother had handed him before the ceremony began and forced himself to smile. "Are you ready to go to Ohio Country, Mrs. Willis?"
"Yes, Mr. Willis. I am," Caroline replied, her green eyes sparkling with happiness and joy. Once she was gingerly seated on the wooden seat beside him, and they were underway, she said softly, "Thank you, Jacob. I did not deserve such kindness from you, but I am truly grateful. I will be the best wife I know how to be." She meant her promise.
"I will be the best husband I know how to be." He looked at her and said, "I hope you do not come to hate me when the newness of this adventure wears off and you are faced with endless days of drudgery and hard work."
"I am not afraid of hard work. And," she added in a teasing voice, "I know better than to burn the bacon!"
Jacob chuckled, and then said softly, "Now that we are wed, I expect you to obey me, Caroline. If I tell you to stay close to the wagon, and you walk as far away as you did today, I will cut a switch and wear it out on your backside. Do you understand me?"
"You cannot do that!" She giggled gaily. "We are married now!" Her green eyes were sparkling with pure mischief.
"Do you think that I would not punish you because we are married?" he asked in disbelief, wondering where she came up with such a foolish notion.
"Well, of course you cannot spank me! Married women are not treated like little girls!"
"Caroline, maybe your father never spanked your mother, but I can assure you that my father was not one bit shy about disciplining my mother when he felt it was necessary." He grinned when he saw her eyes open wide in surprise... and dismay!
"He did that in front of you and your brothers and sisters?" She was shocked at the very idea, and he was pretty darn sure she was picturing his father spanking his mother.
"No, of course not." He smiled. "Father would never humiliate Mother in that manner. I overheard them one time. I was out working in the fields with the other kids and fell and scraped my arm. I came home to tend it and get a bandage, and overheard Father scolding Mother over a purchase she made that he said 'no' to. I heard what sounded like spanks on a bare bottom, and decided that I could clean off my arm outside at the well. I gave them their privacy. I did mention it to John later that night, wondering if I should have tried to save and protect Mother, and John said I did the right thing. He said a man sometimes had to discipline his wife, especially if he loved her. He said that giving a spanking was a lot better than waiting until his temper exploded and he hit her in anger. John is a full six years older than me, and he was engaged to Molly at the time. I figured then and there that he had found it necessary to take a hand to Molly, but I didn't ask. A few other times after that, I noticed that Mother did not seem to find sitting very comfortable, and I also noticed that she was still very much in love with Father, and he with her."
"How different from my parents," she said sadly. "When Father is angry, he says awful things, like he did with me today. Mother goes to their room and cries. Father does not speak to her for a few days, and then things go on as normal... until the next time. It always upsets me when they are fighting." She paused, and then looked at him, "However, I do not want you to spank me when I upset you, Jacob. I would not like that at all. It is very embarrassing!"
"Very well. I shall not spank you... as long as you do nothing that warrants a spanking." He chuckled at the look she gave him and then added with a grin, "I give you until this evening to forget and do something deserving of a good spanking. In fact, if I was not such an understanding husband, I would remember that you kicked me this morning and pay you in kind with a few swats to your sit upon."
"Ohhhhh! You already spanked me for that!" she reminded him.
"Nope, that spanking was definitely for the cursing. I have yet to deal with the kick." He was teasing her and it was fun to watch her try and figure out how to keep him from spanking her again.
Caroline recalled the temper she was in when she kicked him, and felt her cheeks stain a tell-tale red. "Jacob, I was angry in the moment because I felt so helpless to change your mind about me. It was wrong of me to kick you, and I do apologize."
"Do not worry, Mrs. Willis. I can think of other things that I would rather be doing on our wedding night other than spanking your delightful bottom."
She blushed a fiery red, but was pleased he thought her bottom 'delightful'. "Will you kiss me again?" she asked curiously.
"Do you want me to?" He was surprised by her question.
"Oh yes, I do," she shamelessly admitted, but then said, "Jenny said there is more than kissing involved between a husband and wife...?" Her cheeks were pink, but she faced him, clearly determined to learn what she did not know.
"Are you telling me that your Mother has never spoken to you about what happens between a man and woman?" Jacob suddenly realized why Caroline felt so 'safe' in hiding in his wagon and following him. She had no clue what transpired between a man and a woman... especially a woman as pretty as her.
Caroline confirmed his suspicion by shaking her head 'no'. "I asked Mother about it when Jenny married James, and she told me I would have to wait until my wedding night to discover everything, and then she insisted I not ask any more questions. I did not feel it was right to ask Jenny because I did not wish to embarrass her, and I was ashamed I did not know something I felt I should already know."
"Mother explained things to Jenny when she realized that Jenny was growing very fond of James. While Mother and Father liked James, they felt that Jenny needed to know what was acceptable before marriage and what was not." He looked at Caroline and said quietly, "The kisses we shared last night were far from chaste, and normally they would lead to touching and making love. We sto
pped, however, because we were not married, and as a man with four sisters, I was raised to respect young women."
"Those kisses felt natural and right."
"They did. The human race would have died out if kissing and what follows was not pleasurable."
"So, what follows the kissing, Jacob?" Caroline wanted to know.
Chapter Four
Jacob was growing warm, and the bulge straining his pants was hard as a rock. His redheaded wife's innocent green eyes looked at him curiously, waiting for an answer to her question, clueless of the desire coursing through him. "Caroline, making love comes naturally. Lots of touching, kissing, and... you do know that boys and girls are built differently, right?" he asked hoarsely. "I mean, you have seen babies, changed nappies?"
"I am an only child, Jacob. The answer is no. Built differently how?" She was curious, and since Jacob was now her husband, she was going to get answers to things she felt she should have been told about years ago.
"You lived on a farm, Caroline. Have you seen animals mating?"
"You mean like a bull mounting a cow?" she asked. Her eyes grew huge. "Ohhhh! Oh my!" She was horrified, and her red cheeks were a testimony to her embarrassment. As a farmer's daughter, she had certainly witnessed animals mating, but to think of people doing that! Why, it was unthinkable!
"Caroline, they are animals; we are human beings. What transpires between people is a lot softer, more gentle, and caring. Still, the basics are the same. The man inserts his sex into a woman's sex to spill his seed." He saw her lovely green eyes widen even more if that was possible, and all it served was to make his pants even tighter in the area of his crotch! He had to restrain himself from halting the wagon and taking Caroline in the back and showing her quite physically just exactly how things fit together!
"Does it hurt?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer.
"There is some pain the first time, Caroline. You will bleed just a bit because the membrane that protects your innocence is torn." He gave her a moment to think on that and then said, "I promise to be very gentle with you, Caroline. And I will not rush you. Now that we are married, I want you, but I am not an animal and I will be patient. You have my word." He would be patient even if it killed him, and at this point, he was positive it would!
"I trust you, Jacob. If you only cared for yourself you never would have told me there would be some pain. I will try to be brave," she promised, but he could see she was nervous.
"Do not worry, Caro. It will happen naturally. You are a woman of passion." She smiled at his words and then rested her head on his shoulder, taking comfort from his words. After all, this was her Jacob, and he would not lie to her. The long, sleepless night caught up to her as the sun gently warmed her. The slow plodding movement of the wagon lulled her into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Jacob permitted her to sleep until they stopped to take a break when the sun was high. He built a fire at her request and allowed her to cook, but told her that they would need to eat a cold meal at noon while they were traveling. Caroline promised she would keep that in mind from now on, and Jacob was satisfied. He was aware that Caroline did not know how important it was to make each day count to the fullest, and that afternoon while they traveled, he explained their hurry and why every day counted. Instead of getting angry or upset, she asked intelligent questions. Jacob was impressed and leaned over to give her a spontaneous kiss.
He found a nice spot to spend the night, and managed to snare a rabbit for their supper. Jacob was surprised when Caroline immediately took charge of the cooking, and while she did that, he checked the livestock, fed them, and took the time to be sure the wheels and axils on the wagon were still in good shape. He then examined the harnesses, and once he was sure they were all set to leave in the morning, he joined Caroline by the fire, and watched her as she moved gracefully, fixing their food. He was hungry, but vowed he wouldn't rush his new bride. He would rather eat food that was properly prepared instead of bellowing because it was taking too long. He had learned from his Father that it was in a man's best interests to give a woman time to fix a proper meal. She would be happier, and so would he. Besides, Jacob smiled to himself, it was fun watching Caroline bustle about, her concentration evident on her pretty face.
Caroline was conscious of Jacob's dark eyes following her about, and she felt as though her body was responding to his regard. She felt flushed, and there was an unaccustomed dampness between her legs. She could not help but wonder if Jacob would mate with her that night. She was a bit frightened at the idea, but if she were to be perfectly honest with herself, she had to admit that she was more excited at the idea than she was frightened. The pain part she could do without, of course, but Jacob promised to have a care for her, and she believed him. If he did not care for her, he wouldn't have stood up to her father as he did. No one would have forced him to wed her, but he did, and that meant he did care... even if he did not realize it himself.
"Supper will soon be ready, Jacob. Do you need to wash up first?" she asked, making conversation to cover her nervousness.
"I already did, Caroline, after I finished my work. The rabbit smells delicious," he offered. He was hungry... for the rabbit, and for his wife. He reminded himself not to get his hopes up. Caroline had been properly shocked by their frank discussion earlier that day, and it could take a while before he could woo her properly that she would not fear him.
"I will see if it is fully done," she offered, doing exactly that and deciding it was ready. She removed the rabbit from the spit, and divided it, one-fourth for her, three-fourths for her husband. He was a big man, and she knew it would take a lot of food to keep him going. She served him a potato she'd placed close to the fire to bake, and handed him his plate. "There is another potato for you, Jacob," she said shyly.
"Did you make enough for yourself, Caroline?" he asked. "You have hardly any rabbit on your plate!" He immediately kicked himself for not snaring a second rabbit. He did not want her to go hungry, and she'd taken very little for herself!
"Jacob, I am not as big as you are, and this is plenty of food for me. I have a potato, too, so I will not be hungry," she insisted.
Jacob was surprised when she seemed to have to force herself to finish what was on her plate. She quietly served him another potato and he ate every last bite. He was full, too, and satisfied with the simple meal. "You cook well over a fire, wife."
"Thank you, Jacob," she said with a smile. "Mother and I often cooked outside during the summer to keep from heating the house. Did you get enough to eat?"
"Yes, I am full. What about you?" he demanded, wanting to confirm she treated herself as well as she did him.
"I am stuffed!" she insisted. She had placed a pot of water over the fire to heat while they were eating, and she cautiously tested it before pouring some into a dishpan. She washed their dishes, rinsed them, dried them, and put them away. "I need a moment of privacy," she said, a bit embarrassed.
"Do not go far, Caroline." Jacob did not think it necessary for him to repeat his admonishment of the morning. Caroline was not angry with him, so he was sure she would obey.
Caroline walked a short distance, or what she thought to be a short, but out of hearing distance, from the camp. She tended to her needs, and then headed back to where she was sure the camp was. She walked what she considered ample distance, but saw no sign of their campfire! Slightly disoriented, she went back the way she came, and walked and walked, and walked... Finally, she spotted a fire, and hurried toward it, anxious to feel safe once again, and positive that Jacob was going to scold her for being gone so long.
"Jacob, please do not scold; I got..." Caroline's voice trailed off as two bearded men, dressed in the buckskins that trappers preferred, jumped to their feet to stare at her in disbelief that was quickly replaced with something else in their eyes. "I'm sorry, I have the wrong camp," she apologized, and quickly turned to run from the two. She suddenly realized that these two were probably the ones who robbed Pierre.
"Sure we will, honey. Come on over here," the second man said, his voice cajoling.
Caroline felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle in warning. "No, thank you. My husband is surely looking for me by now. I must be going." She took off running, but one of the men had moved closer as she was speaking, and she was grabbed from behind and lifted off her feet.
"Don't be in such a hurry, lady. We just want us a bit of loving."
Caroline screamed as loud as she could, and when a dirty hand was clamped over her mouth to silence her, she bit, hard! The man yelped in pain, and then shoved her to the ground. Caroline hit her head and the world went black.
* * *
Jacob was enjoying another cup of Caroline's delicious coffee when he realized she had been gone for quite a while. Knowing the redhead and her penchant for doing as she pleased, he decided to go and look for her and see just exactly how far she had wandered from camp. If she went even one inch beyond what he felt acceptable, she was going to get a good switching. He was a man of his word, and if Caroline needed to learn that lesson the hard way, he would give her a switching to remember.
He searched and searched, even calling her name, but the redhead did not answer. He walked farther and farther away, still calling for her. There was still no answer, and Jacob was growing more and more alarmed. When he heard her scream, he took off running, his knife in his hand. He was sure she had met up with Indians, or even some unscrupulous men, and he hurried to save her.
Jacob was well trained in wilderness living, and he had learned all he could from men who had lived and trapped. He had more sense than to come crashing into the other camp, making so much noise that whoever held Caroline would hear him and be prepared. He quietly approached and quickly realized there were two men, and one of the two was shaking Caroline in an attempt to wake her. Jacob was afraid she was dead, but one of the men dumped water on her face and she quickly came awake, sputtering and coughing from the water.
A Man of Dreams, a Woman of Passion Page 4
